Dish or Direct Tv???

Hi R.,

I have to go with what the previous responders said - go with Dish. We have had both services, and while I got a few more channels I liked with the DirecTV service (for the upgraded "basic" service) it was worth it to lose those extra channels and go with Dish because of the boxes working for two TV's at a time (with DVR capabilities also). When I went back to DirecTV to ask them if they could match the deal Dish gives us they couldn't even come close because they would have required a separate box with TiVo on each set and through Dish I only have to have one to record two TVs. Customer service-wise, I would have to say the two companies were pretty comparable for us. My frustration with Dish is the darn automated customer service menus instead of getting to talk to real people sooner - like when I KNOW my issue isn't in their automated menu and I still have to sit there and go through the whole darn thing before I finally get a real live person, but that is the way it is with a lot of companies nowadays, not just Dish. They get techs out pretty quickly if they can't fix something over the phone, and the techs are very nice and knowledgeable when they come out. And my husband gets about a million sports channels (not that he gets a lot of time to watch them with a four year old in the house lol) so that makes him happy. Good luck!

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Did a lot of research on Dish vs. Direct and ended up choosing Dish. We have had the service for about a year and are satisfied. The service people are very good at walking you through a problem over the phone. Once you get the hang of the remote control, it is a breeze. We also have it on two TV's, which is a great convenience.

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I just wanted to say that we've had both services, and I liked Dish way more. We switched to DirecTV because the promiced us a lower rate, but when the first bill came, it was much higher! They refused to honer the price I was quoted on the phone and it was impossible to get a clear statement from them about what we would be in for. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten a digital TV antenna and we would just go to a friends or a sportbar to watch our games.

Good luck with your decision.

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My husband has crunched the numbers, and he gets neither. It probably depends on the team, of course, but he actually goes to Cheerleaders, a sports restaurant with individual tv screens in the booths, to watch the games. He orders some food and then sits there until the game is over. Even at food + tip = ~$15, it's cheaper than getting the game at home--mostly because they all seem to require a contract. So he can't just get it for the few months of football and then cancel. It ends up being really pricey with a contract! Isn't it crazy that it comes out to more than $15 a game to watch it on your own tv?
Another option is to find a friend to watch with, and offer to pitch in a few bucks for the cable bill, or bring the food.

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We have Direct TV and it is $138 a month for about 5 months for the NFL ticket. It might be less expensive for you depending on how many receivers you have, HD, etc.

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We just switched from DTV to Dish. We get more channels for a significantly less amount. The technology of their DVRs is also far superior to DTV. Unfortunately, Sunday Ticket is a DTV thing, which is why we were with them in the first place, however at $250/year, we decided it would cost us less to go to a restaurant with Sunday Ticket for the few games that won't be televised (we're Steelers fans so there are only 5 or so not on networks). We do get NFL network on Dish though.

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I'm not sure about online viewing, but...

If you go with a satellite service, I'd recommend Dish Network over DirecTV, particularly if you have multiple TVs in your home. Dish's converter boxes work on 2 sets, where DirecTV's boxes are one per TV. Since there's a charge with both companies for additional boxes, it can keep the bill from getting too big.

My neighborhood doesn't have any cable option--we can only do satellite.

Good luck!

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My husband is a satelite guy. He knows A LOT about every aspect of this because installs and sells the packages. Right now he can get you free NFL ticket. Give him a call ###-###-#### his name is Jeff

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Right now Direct TV has a promotion for $60/month including the NFL Sunday Ticket for 5 months. After that you can renegotiate your plan (I think the plan jumps to $135/month after the 5 months). With this you get every premium channel plus the NFL Sunday Ticket - it is a really good deal.

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I am an authorized DishNetwork/DirecTv retailer in Castle Rock - mom of 3. I would be happy to give you the rates for both - I would need to know the number of TVs that you have and if you are looking for HD - DVR etc. Please give me a call at ###-###-#### - Blue Sky Satellite - also a member of the Castle Rock and Parker chambers of commerce - thank you - D. Sundbye

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I have had Direct TV since 2003 and love it. They make moving really easy to. I have never had any customer service issues with them and it's easy to order movies. They have a lot of free weekends with their movie channels.

I went with them originally as my aunt and uncle had Dish and had quite a few problems so decided to go with Direct Tv and have been very happy ever since.

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Sunday Ticket is about $400. We started paying in Jan so it was cheaper than it would be now (jump on it quick cuz once the season starts tomorrow I think the price goes up again), we paid $75/month for 4 mos, but got 4 mos of free premium programming while we paid for ST. Our bill is kind of high monthly but we have total choice programming & also have all of the HD programming (2 tiers now), 2 rooms w/leased receivers, a DVR & a partridge in a pear tree (or so it feels!). It's about $85-$90/month. I promised hubby if we could be stationed closer to my family I'd be willing to pay for ST while we were stationed there. He can't wait to be able to watch his Broncos all season long!
You might be able to watch online but I'm not sure about real-time & actual pictures. I remember dictating the Xs & Os to hubby while he was at school off of our home computer because he didn't have a computer there. I believe there was a way to pay to see in real-time w/people ("every down, every play"), but we didn't bother with that.

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We have dish and like it. I just would make sure they have the channels that you want before you sign up. Dish doesn't carry the mtn. So we just have to go to my father in laws if we want to watch a lot of the Utah games.

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